Britney Spears strikes a Michael Jackson-like pose during 'Me Against the Music,' a song from her new Las Vegas residency show, 'Britney: Piece of Me,' at Planet Hollywood. / Denise Truscello

by Marco della Cava, USA TODAY

by Marco della Cava, USA TODAY

Britney Spears edged closer to the debut of her two-year Las Vegas residency show, Britney: Piece of Me, with a thundering invitation-only preview at Planet Hollywood's The Axis theater Thursday.

In an 85-minute run-through for casino industry workers, the 32-year-old pop siren set the stage for Friday's official opening by blasting through nearly two-dozen songs with ferocious intensity, making full use of a 100-foot stage, some 60 video projectors and incessant costume changes.

Typical of the extravaganza was Spears' rendition of Toxic, which found her leaping off a massive tree into thin air (thanks to wires) while surrounded by dancers dressed like creatures straight out of Avatar (who writhed around in a veil of falling raindrops).

A contrasting moment was provided by the singer's more simple treatment of Me Against the Music, featuring Spears in silhouette with a fedora on her head, a tip of the hat to Thriller-era Michael Jackson.

Thursday's crowd was deliberately hip, but there's a good bet that Piece of Me could open up a new genre of Las Vegas residency, one aimed at a decidedly younger club-going clique. Friday's opening will tell more.